1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a multi-terminal connector composed of a male housing and female housing provided with a plurality of female terminals and male terminals respectively therein to be connected to or disconnected from each other by a considerably small force owing to a cam mechanism adopted therein.
A such hither-to-known multi-terminal connector which requires a minimum force as disclosed in the U.S. Pat. No. 4,586,771 comprises a first housing containing two aligned slots, a second housing containing a cam track, and a slider provided with a cam follower for moving along the cam arranged on the first housing.
The above slider is formed in an U shape composed of a web and a pair of arms extending therefrom in parallel, the length of both arms being equal to the distance between the edge walls of the flange forming a hood in the first housing for accomodating the second housing, wherein the cam follower projects inside the arm.
Consequently, for engaging the first housing with the second one by utilization of the above slider, it must be inserted at right angles to its engaging direction, that is, inserted from a side of the connector, thus the space for the installation thereof cannot securely be obtained in a limited space such as inside the instrument panel of a car and its operability is not sufficiently high.
In order to solve the aformentioned problem, an applicant for patent has constructed a pair of guide rails at the upper portion of the covering body of the male housing for accommodating the female housing so as to provide a low force requiring multi-terminal connector of the structure in which a pair of sliders with respective cam followers are slidably premounted as shown by Japanese Patent Application No. 62-219018.
In the above case, the male housing provided with the cam track is accessed to the female housing by drawing both of the sliders towards each other using a thumb and other fingers of one hand, whereby the engaging operation can be easily performed even in a narrow space. The reverse operation may be accomplished in a similar but reverse manner. That is, separation of the two housings engaged with each other by the above operation, can be done by shifting movement of the both sliders in a reverse direction, but it is extremely difficult to pursue in a limited space, as this operation requires using two hands.